Star wars threat to the West: How doomsday EMP space nukes could cripple US and allies by ‘frying’ critical infrastructure and killing vital satellites – with Putin already developing weapon

As the development of ever more devastating nuclear weapons gathered pace amid the Cold War, American and Soviet scientists and military chiefs became acutely aware of the destructive potential of an electromagnetic pulse attack.

Besides the obvious consequences of a nuclear missile strike on land, experts realised that they could also wreak havoc on their adversary by detonating their intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in space.

The resulting surge of energy from the huge radioactive explosion would knock out critical infrastructure in enemy territory for thousands upon thousands of square miles. 

But after both sides amassed huge arsenals and developed early warning systems designed to ensure whoever struck first could not escape a cataclysmic response, the threat of mutually assured destruction meant a nuclear strike or EMP attack became a very slim prospect.

This comforting status quo was shattered early last year, however, when a series of bombshell reports in American media revealed that US intelligence officials suspected Russia was working on plans to deploy nuclear weapons in space via satellite. 

Then in early December, US officials told the New York Times they believed a specific Russian scientific satellite – ‘Cosmos 2553’ – is already testing components for that very weapon. 

The reports sparked fears that Moscow could blast a satellite into space with a nuclear warhead on board, moving it into position above the United States or other Western nations before detonating at the perfect moment.

This orbital weapon would destroy or disable thousands of vital satellites – but if detonated at the right altitude, it could also deliver a punishing EMP strike on the territory below. 

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Russia launches a Soyuz-2.1b from Plesetsk cosmodrome with a Defence Ministry payload

Apache test detonation on Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, 8th July 1956, at the end of Operation Redwing a series of 17 nuclear tests from May to July 1956 

What is an EMP weapon and how does it work?

An Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) weapon is a device that creates a pulse of energy to disable electrical systems.

Localised EMP devices work by releasing a burst of energy in the radiofrequency or microwave spectrum, which can overload and damage electronic components and systems.

But these are only effective on a small scale – typically within a radius of a few city blocks.

By far the most effective and devastating EMP attack would come as a result of a nuclear bomb or missile being detonated anywhere from a few dozen miles to several hundred miles above the Earth, depending on its yield.

The radiation of the nuclear blast is largely absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere, but the explosion also creates a massive electrostatic discharge known as the Compton effect.

That cascades down to the Earth where every wire and electrical system acts as an antenna. 

The huge charge overloads the system and blows up the electrical grid, and also shorts the components of any electronic products.

Such a strike is a line-of-sight event, and because the weapon is detonated high above the Earth, the target area is massive.

We came to understand this in 1962 after the United States’ Starfish Prime nuclear test above Bikini Atoll – a small spit of land that makes up part of the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific Ocean. 

That bomb had a yield of 1.4 megatons – miniscule in comparison to today’s nukes – but the EMP blast still disrupted electrical and communication systems in Hawaii over 500 miles away from the detonation point.

Starfish Prime was a high-altitude nuclear test conducted by the United States, a joint effort of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the Defense Atomic Support Agency. It was launched from Johnston Atoll on July 9, 1962, and was the largest nuclear test conducted in outer space, and one of five conducted by the US in space

The ‘Cosmos 2553’ satellite was blasted through the atmosphere atop a Soyuz-2 rocket from Russia ‘s Plesetsk Cosmodrome in February 2022

Anti-satellite nukes could destroy entire communication networks, GPS relay stations, military targeting systems and defence sensors, making modern life on Earth all but impossible

What would be the fallout of a space-based EMP attack?

The immediate effect of a nuclear detonation with a modern, high-yield warhead above the Earth would be catastrophic.

Water and energy supplies would be knocked out immediately, along with any heating system short of fuel generators, or burning firewood or other flammable materials. 

Cars, computers, phones, transport, banking – everything that uses electrical components or relies on electronic systems to operate ceases to function.

Besides the obvious chaos that would erupt in such a scenario, military history and technology expert Dr William Forstchen told MailOnline what would happen in the weeks and months following an EMP blast. 

‘Unless you’re living completely unsupported in the wilderness, this essentially takes away your access to water, heat and food – three elements of the base level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – and would essentially trigger a societal collapse as a result.

‘The long-term effects of an EMP strike are therefore a dramatic reduction in population.

‘Many of the people living in cities would die of thirst or starvation – or be killed in panic and violence, and anyone who requires regular medical treatment would have no chance of survival. 

‘Access to what little food and water supplies remain would of course be controlled either by the government and the military, or the most effective and violent armed gangs.

‘In the US, Department of Energy studies estimate it could take up to five years to get just 20 per cent of the grid back online, by which point modern society would have all but collapsed – I imagine the UK would face a similar scenario.’

A cloud of smoke and dust rises in the sky after the so-called Tsar Bomba was detonated in a test over the remote Novaya Zemlya archipelago in USSR, in this still image from previously classified footage taken in October 1961

What steps can be taken to protect against an EMP blast? 

Dr Fortschen was sombre when asked about how societies can defend against and EMP blast.

Although simple defences such as Faraday cages and other methods to absorb and redirect the vast surges of electrical energy can be used to effectively ward off localised EMP attacks, there is no way of implementing such protections against a space-based blast.  

‘On the ground we have very limited capacity to protect the grid against an EMP strike but it would require a major industrial upgrade. 

‘Many components that underpin US and UK grid systems are decades old. 

‘Replacement parts would be required, but most of these are engineered abroad and we don’t have an emergency stockpile.

William R. Forstchen is a New York Times bestselling author of the One Second After series and a Professor of History at Montreat College in North Carolina

‘Authorities would need to embark on a massive upgrade programme that would involve designing and constructing key electrical grid components, such as transformers and substations, to withstand the effects of an EMP. 

‘This can be achieved through shielding and surge protection – but this would still only have a limited effect,’ Fortschen said.

In theory, the United States could potentially prevent an EMP strike delivered by a Russian, Iranian, Chinese or North Korean-launched ICBM.

The US has an ICBM defence system with dozens of missiles on standby ready to intercept the nuke and blow it up – without triggering the nuclear blast – in space before it re-enters the atmosphere.

But by mounting a nuclear device on a satellite, Russia could in theory evade all early-warning systems and preclude the US from ever having the chance to avert disaster.  

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russia launches a Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome

Could a Russian satellite really carry out a nuclear or EMP strike?

Fortunately, it seems as though the prospect of a satellite-based nuclear weapon is not yet an operational reality.

If Cosmos 2553 is indeed performing tests to develop an orbital strike weapon, it suggests that Russia, nor any other state, yet has the capacity to deploy it in a live scenario. 

Another consideration is whether the satellite could carry a large enough nuclear device to mount an effective attack.

The Royal United Services Institute’s electronic warfare specialist Dr Thomas Withington told The Telegraph: ‘You need a sufficient power level to cause damage over a wide area… it’s hard to get that into a satellite’. 

A low-yield nuclear device of a few kilotons would need to be detonated roughly 20-25 miles up to have a sizeable EMP effect.

But even the satellites orbiting closest to Earth are stationed well over 100 miles above the ground – if they stray much lower than that, they are affected by atmospheric drag. 

Besides, given the EMP effects electrical systems in the line-of-sight of the explosion, a detonation at around 25 miles would only affect infrastructure on the ground within a radius of roughly four hundred miles. 

For a devastating strike reaching thousands of miles across the US, an adversary would need to detonate a bomb at an altitude of 100 – 200 miles, but this requires a much larger yield, and therefore a much heavier device. 

Nonetheless, the prospect of a space-based EMP strike in the near future is one that some experts feel Western governments are not taking seriously enough.

A House of Commons Defence Committee report delivered in 2012 recognised that the effect of a nuclear EMP would be ‘very difficult to mitigate’ and a ‘truly catastrophic event’, but concluded that ‘the UK nor Western Europe is a target for such an EMP attack’. 

Now though, with the advent of more advanced technology, officials and experts are imploring the UK and other Western governments to explore options for protecting against both localised non-nuclear and space-based EMP threats. 

Tory peer Lord James Arbuthnot is one of few in Westminster raising the alarm over the EMP threat, declaring: ‘Officialdom is beginning to recognise it as a problem… but recognising there’s a problem is not enough. 

‘We are not yet at the stage where enough is being done to protect us.’ 

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